Aha Poetry Tanka Contest

[Saionji Shonagon]

For you poetry fans

www.ahapoetry.com/TSform.htm

M.

[Ki no Kotori]

It's a pretty good contest. I placed in 2003 (under my maiden name, Maria Szabo). The judging favors a modern flavor, which does not necessarily stick to the 5-7-5-7-7 form, or even the classical subjects. I was rather surprised at the ones that received the most votes.

Of the three poems I submitted that year, two were classical in subject and one was modern. The modern one was the one that placed. I got a gift certificate and the poem was published in their annual anthology.

The three poems I submitted for 2004 did not place. All were classical in form and subject.

Jane Reichhold (who runs the Tanka Splendor contest) moderates (or did moderate, when I was still on it) a tanka list on yahoo groups. It is fairly active. If you lurk awhile, you can see the modern style in which many of these poets work.

I've recently picked up a couple of books of translationed modern (ie 20th century) Japanese tanka. It might be interesting to compare those to what the English-speaking poets are doing now to see if its anything close to what the Japanese are doing. Maybe once summer is past and my time frees up a bit.

--Ki no Torahime

[Saionji Shonagon]

The judging favors a modern flavor, which does not necessarily stick to the 5-7-5-7-7 form, or even the classical subjects. I was rather surprised at the ones that received the most votes.

They pick judges from their contestants too, as I gathered from the entry form. If most of the contestants write modern tanka, I'm not surprised that that's what gets picked.

Not everybody is us, Ki-hime - and that's OK. Most of the Aha writers write for different reasons than we do.

Besides, Ii-dono insisted to presenting me with a copy of Po Chu I's poems. I love trying to find my way, however clumsily, into that medieval Japanese mindset. And it's so much fun when people write back!

I got a gift certificate and the poem was published in their annual anthology.

Excellent. Congratulations!

Jane Reichhold (who runs the Tanka Splendor contest) moderates (or did moderate, when I was still on it) a tanka list on yahoo groups.

She recently published "A String of Flowers, Untied" which is a collection of all the poems from "The Tale of Genji" translated into modern tanka.